Doolittle Raid

The Doolittle Raid was a US Air Force air raid targeting the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, and other industrial centers in central Honshu. The raid had the goal of avenging the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and 18 American B-25 bombers took off from aircraft carriers and unleashed several bombs over Japan. The Americans succeeded in inflicting some structural damage on industrial buildings, but they were forced to pull back due to low fuel. Fifteen aircraft crash-landed in China, while one landed in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union, with the Soviets interning the crew for a year. 3 Americans were killed by the Imperial Japanese Army after the Japanese located the crash sites of their planes, while 8 Americans were captured; all of them died in prison, were executed, or died of disease. While the raid's damage was of little significance, the raid was a propaganda victory for the United States, as it proved that the USA could successfully raid Japan. The raid also demoralized the Japanese people, as they lost faith in the air defenses of their country.